Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Maza puts the spotlight on the forgotten Indians by Mariam Mokhtar
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Malaysiakini : Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but when a supposedly
learned religious man makes an ‘incorrect’ analysis of another faith,
the damage he causes is worse than if the remarks had come from an
ignorant oaf.
Of all the muftis in Malaysia, the one from Perlis, Dr Mohd Asri
Zainul Abidin (Maza), was considered the most progressive and respected,
whose insights resonated with many Malaysians. His views on Act 355 were applauded when he said that this ruse was
just another political ploy by PAS and Umno Baru. He disagreed with the
use of khalwat squads to test people’s morality. He said that
non-Muslims had a right to use the word ‘Allah’.
Maza opposed forced conversions of children, when one parent decided
to convert to Islam. He blasted the syariah courts for taking years to
reach a decision on divorce cases. He courted controversy when he said
that religion should not be forced on Muslims.
Whilst Maza’s reputation soared, that of other muftis plummeted. The
respect Maza enjoyed ended when he published his poem on Facebook last
week. He allegedly claimed the Hindus worshipped cows and practised
‘suttee’.
Maza exposed his poor understanding of Hinduism and its practices.
Hindus do not worship cows and suttee has been outlawed for almost two
centuries. We cannot say the same about some ‘Muslim’ practices, like
female genital mutilation.
Maza’s back-pedalling did not help him. First he said that his poem
was directed at Narendra Modi, the nationalist prime minister of India.
That simply exacerbated the problem, so he said that Malaysian Hindus
should ignore his remarks, because they did not apply to them.
He also alluded to “our preacher” being handed over to a tyrannical
government. Was he referring to Zakir Naik, the controversial Muslim
preacher who is purportedly seeking refuge in Malaysia to escape two
arrest warrants issued by the Indian authorities? Why does Maza harbour a
soft spot for Zakir, who seemingly likes to stoke religious fires
amongst Malaysians?
Maza’s work and opinions are highly valued and sought after. He is
also human and it is possible he made a mistake, and should apologise.
The only positive aspect of Maza’s debacle is that he has put the
spotlight on Malaysia’s marginalised Indian community.
When government-linked companies (GLCs) took over British rubber
estates, they converted land into housing developments, golf courses and
oil palm plantations. The displaced Indians drifted to urban areas to
form Indian ghettos, which became breeding grounds for gangsters.
Bumiputra policies and quotas denied Indians access to education and
work opportunities. Places in local universities were limited and Indian
graduates claimed they face discrimination when applying for jobs.
Lack of self-confidence
With so much against them, is it any wonder that the Indian community
suffers from a lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem, the highest
rates of suicide and low performance in business, equity ownership and
employment in professional sectors and the civil service?
A few have escaped the poverty trap, and at the other end of the
social spectrum, there are many qualified and successful Indian
professionals, who form a large proportion of the country’s top lawyers
and doctors.
Restrictions on places of worship mean that Hindu temples are forced
to be built without planning permission. The Indians could only watch in
silence when Hindu temples of historical and cultural importance were
demolished.
In 2000, TimeAsia reported that Indians had the lowest share
of the nation’s corporate wealth - 1.5 percent compared to 19.4 percent
for the Malays and 38.5 percent for the Chinese. In 2003, The Economist reported that Indian Malaysians
comprised “14 percent of juvenile delinquents, 20 percent of wife and
child abusers, 14 percent of its beggars, and that under 5 percent of
successful university applicants were Indian.”
In 2011, the erstwhile MIC deputy president, Dr S Subramaniam,
claimed that Indians were ashamed of their community, were looked down
upon by the other races, and that 45 percent of the country’s crimes
involved Indians.
The Indians are viewed as an afterthought, because if Chinese or
Malay communities were treated as badly, there would have been a severe
backlash; but with Indians, the common response, is “Who cares? They are
only Indians. Even their own politicians fail to promote their cause.”
Zakir Naik was granted permanent resident (PR) status, but many
Indians remain stateless, and do not have birth certificates or identity
cards. The Indians form the highest percentage of deaths, whilst in
police custody. The poorest Indians survive on a ‘hand to mouth’
existence.
Ironically, Maza’s faux pas has highlighted the plight of Indian
Malaysians/Hindus. Will he help make Malaysians understand that we
cannot alienate the Indians? Issues which affect the Indian community
are not solely an Indian problem; they are a Malaysian problem.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the
Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation
(PLO). Blog, Twitter.
